📕 Resolution CR201819 Supporting The Creation Of A Transportation Bypass

Nov 21, 2018

A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS IN SUPPORT OF CREATING A TRANSPORTATION BYPASS FOR BUTTS COUNTY; TO CALL FOR A STUDY OR STUDIES TO BE CONDUCTED; TO REQUEST ASSISTANCE FROM OUR LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION AND OTHERS; TO AUTHORIZE THE BOARD CHAIRMAN TO SIGN THE RESOLUTION ON BEHALF OF THE COUNTY; TO AUTHORIZE THE CLERK OF BUTTS COUNTY TO ATTEST ALL DOCUMENTS; AND FOR OTHER LAWFUL PURPOSES.

WHEREAS, for many years the leadership of Butts County, including its elected officials, community leaders, business leaders and citizens, as well as state transportation officials have long recognized that serious traffic congestion problems occur in and around the City of Jackson, as well as at rural interchanges and County roads throughout the County as a result of the convergence of many state highways including Georgia Highways 16, 36, 42 and 87, as well as US Highway 23, and;

WHEREAS, it has long been recognized that commercial truck traffic has, for many years, entered upon and caused injury and damage to local taxpayer funded infrastructure, oftentimes while using Butts County as a cut-through to avoid examination by state officials that would likely uncover weight, height and length violations, all of which has contributed to crumbling streets, damaged road signs, broken storm drains, dangerous railroad accidents, citizen fatalities from accidents and damaged buildings as a result of the ingress and egress of commercial trucks, and;

WHEREAS, said commercial truck traffic has often illegally utilized County-owned roads as a means to traverse the County, creating hazardous situations for passenger vehicles, as well as contributing to the accelerated destabilization of paved surfaces, bridges and other transportation infrastructure that the motoring public and its citizens depend upon to safely move from one destination to another, and;

WHEREAS, County, City and State Officials determined many years ago that a truck bypass would be in the best interests of Butts County and would have the greatest impact on preserving local infrastructure by removing trucks from downtown Jackson streets, reducing traffic congestion in town caused by slow-moving, oversized trucks that cannot safely navigate the commercial corridors of town and by removing the incentive for them to illegally operate upon County roads, and;

WHEREAS, the creation of a transportation bypass could also incorporate into its design a much-needed railroad overpass to mitigate the frequent occurrence of stopped trains blocking emergency vehicle access to entire portions of the County, obstructing citizens in their daily travels and mitigating deadly railroad accidents, and;

WHEREAS, the creation of such a corridor to circumnavigate the City of Jackson and to remove the state highways from the central population core of Butts County by routing such traffic around Jackson would also create, foster and stimulate economic, commercial and industrial development opportunities that would promote positive growth in the economy of Butts County, contributing to the local tax base and shifting some of the burden off of property taxpaying citizens by the redistribution of revenue funding from other production centers, and;

WHEREAS, the Board of Commissioners wishes to make a public statement of support towards whatever mechanisms would lead toward the creation of such a transportation bypass and to proclaim by resolution its commitment as a Board and our commitment as a County Government to work with State elected officials, appointed State DOT officials, Regional Commissions and other lawfully appointed entities and individuals to secure approvals, seek funding sources, create a plan and see through to conclusion such a project, now therefore be it:

RESOLVED, the Commission hereby declares that the foregoing preamble and whereas provisions set forth hereinabove constitute, and shall be considered to be, substantive provisions of this Resolution and are hereby incorporated by reference into this provision.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the Commission, through this Resolution, does publicly state and affirm its absolute belief in the need for a Butts County bypass to alleviate the ever-increasing issues caused by commercial truck traffic, growing automobile traffic and the growth influencers that exist now in our region and which will continue to increase, and;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the Commission, through this Resolution, does hereby commit to support such exercises as may be required to bring forth such a bypass from idea to concept, to plan and to reality, and to explore methods for the funding of such a project from local, state and federal means, either separately and individually, or collectively, and by whatever mechanisms that involves, and;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board authorizes the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners to sign this Resolution on their behalf and to authorize the Clerk of Butts County to attest this document and spread this resolution upon the minutes of the Board of Commissioners, and;

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the Board authorizes the Clerk of Butts County to transmit this resolution to our local legislative delegation prior to the start of the 2019-2020 session of the Georgia General Assembly and to other State and Federal Officials as may be necessary to communicate our unequivocable desire to pursue this goal on behalf of the Citizens of Butts County Georgia.